Portland

07/30/2018

You know how some Christians used to do nothing on Sundays because it was the day of the Lord, and the Jews the same on Saturdays? Well, we didn't do anything today because it was 98 outside. Tomorrow is going to be another hot day, not quite as high, but I really don't find much difference between 98 and 96. Then late Monday night, early Tuesday morning the breeze from the ocean will push inland over us.

Izzy's walks were cut short because of the heat. Do your business and go back home.

I did make a run to the grocery store to buy some ice cream, but aside from that emergency I stayed inside. Except to water some particularly needy plants. The lawn is pretty much left for dead until the heatwave is over.

07/26/2018

Yet another hot day. Naps work, and of course there are Izzy's walking needs, but really, the energy level for everyone in town is down. This evening we went over to Joan's brother's house for a birthday celebration. Davis is 79. He and his wife went out this morning and picked blackberries and made pies.

Otherwise, it's been hot.

Check your email. Let me know if you can link to the video of Kinsley.

07/15/2018

It has to do with the camera. Once I download the pictures from the camera into the laptop they come out sideways. I'll keep working on it.

It was hot today, and it's supposed to be hot tomorrow. We're like the shipwrecked survivors on a desert island under the only palm tree. That's why air conditioners are so important. If it gets hot enough I might have to go down to the basement and do some cleaning.

06/11/2018

Portland was rather slow today. It rained on and off, and Izzy didn't particularly like it being wet outside. The excitement of television tonight was that Gilbert looked up and noticed that there were kittens on the screen. He barked a couple times and then laid down again.

Joan made a stir-fry and rice. Chicken and broccoli. Very good. And then we went to bed.

Last night I found a channel on my internet radio, something like Theater Of Insomniacs, that was dedicated to playing old Jean Shepherd shows, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

I love my internet radio. It hooks up to the computer server by wi-fi and pulls in tens of thousands of radio stations around the world. It's sort of like a 21st-Century shortwave, but the reception is a lot better, pretty much crystal clear. If I want to listen in to, say, a sports talk show in San Francisco I used to listen to when I was down there I can. Or I can listen to New York or the BBC in London, or a station in Scotland. I listen to Australia and New Zealand. Anywhere. I love it.

06/01/2018

Again, not much happened today. We picked up Oliver after school and drove straight to an island between Oregon and Washington State, right off the interstate, where we made the transfer to his mommy, at the Burger King there. Oliver likes Burger King because he likes the toys they have in the kids meals and he gets a paper crown. Burger King, you know.

Then we went home and watched the first game of the NBA finals. Our Warriors won, but it was tough. They went into overtime to win.

05/31/2018

The Gorge being the Columbia River Gorge. And this picture was taken sometime last Winter, so this picture doesn't have anything to do with anything. Nothing much eventful happened. The whole day. Nothing.

05/16/2018

This is Mina, the dog across the street. The dog residing with Ramona and her parents. This picture isn't across the street, though, it's at one of the many local parks in town. There are parks all over the place. Big parks to hike through, small parks scattered throughout. Parks for kids, city golf courses, places along the rivers. And a few dedicated dog parks.

We need to get the dogs to the local dog park soon. We can't use the weather as an excuse. Of course, tomorrow is my appointment across the Columbia to the orthopedist to give me my options. And if they replace my knee, I imagine I won't be walking the dogs for a week or two. I'm getting the feeling that I may have to make a big choice soon.

Otherwise, the electrician got around to us today and fixed the outlet. The plumber who installed the new water heater and took out the old one apparently bumped the back of the outlet, which was loose anyway. In any case, everything seems to be working right now.

04/18/2018

This is a very small cemetery somewhere in Portland, not sure where. So small I don't see any graves.

Well, the guys were working to shore up the front porch again today. I think that they're pretty much done with that. This is the painting guys. They'll be back after Robin and Kinsley leave. Don't want that going on while they're here.

And Yolanda the cleaning lady came today. Trucks all over the place. Hammering, saws, vacuum cleaners. Poor Izzy was freaking out. After everyone left she threw up. Not sure if it was something she ate or if she was just so upset. She came into the den this evening and quickly fell asleep.

And I am going to try to figure out my way around my phone. I never carry it around, generally, but I want to make sure I know how to take pictures while they're here.

04/14/2018

02/22/2018

As you can see, the snow stuck over night. There was enough snow that the folks across the street made a snowman. Izzy was surprisingly happy frolicking in the stuff. She'd stick her snout in the snow then jump up, like she'd been hiding under the snow. Her black nose was white, at least for a moment until she shook it off.

By early afternoon all the streets and sidewalks had melted and the snow on the lawns was beginning to thin. But it's snowing again tonight. Then the temperature will go up ten degrees and the snow will be just rain.